FORMAT C:
by J. Peterson
Summary: Memories are such fragile things. A different side of the ShizNat coin. Language warning. Some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**  
Mai HiME and all its characters belongs to Sunrise. No profit made, no copyright infringement intended.

**Author's Notes:**  
My, I'm productive these days. Once this idea hit me, I got so lost in my own head working on it that my boss actually had to physically shake my shoulder to snap me out of it. That was half an hour after I'd first started sorting out the threads, and highly amusing. To her, at least.

I apologize if the action scenes seem a bit off. It's not what I usually write, so I'm feeling my proverbial way. Enjoy, nonetheless.

**FORMAT C:**  
Part I

* * *

"Shizuru?"

She turned her head to see the apparition next to her, as usual almost transparent under the cell's bright, sterile lamps. "Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

She touched her hands to one of the many small electrodes that covered her bare scalp. Touched it, but didn't remove it. It was there to make her strong, after all. And Natsuki had punished her the last time she'd tried to remove one. "About the same," she told the hovering ghost. "Forgive me, but why are these attached to me, again?"

"It's okay, Shizuru." Natsuki's pale, ghostly face smiled at her. "I won't be mad at you for being confused. You were hurt badly, so it's to be expected."

She nodded. That made her feel better. She didn't want Natsuki to be angry or disappointed in her. "That's right. There was a battle."

"Mm." The ghost pulled herself into a seated position a few feet above the tiled floor, right next to the slab she was laying on. "Do you remember what happened during that battle?"

She felt her throat work in a swallow as she absentmindedly fingered another attachment - the IV that was leaking painkillers into her system. "Natsuki died."

"Why?"

"I... failed you." Her voice was at once both hoarse and distant, and she felt the guilt ride her with a whip. "I failed to protect you."

"Thats right, you did," the ghost told her soothingly, running a clear hand over the air above Shizuru's arm. "But it's okay, Shizuru. I forgive you. I'll even help you take revenge on the ones who killed me." She smiled. "That's why you're here, remember?"

She gritted her teeth in anger and nodded. "I remember." Mai. Midori. Mikoto. Nao. Yukino... all of the other HiME had ganged up on Natsuki and killed her. And she'd been too late to save her. But she would make them pay, she decided as she stared down at her naked body and the array of wires that were attached all over it.

She wouldn't fail Natsuki this time. Not when Natsuki had come from beyond death to ask her to take revenge on her behalf.

"I know you won't fail me, Shizuru. Not this time." The apparition rested her hand above Shizuru's forehead, not even blinking at the flinch that move garnered. "I know you don't want to disappoint me again."

"I won't." She felt a shiver run down her spine as she locked her eyes on that hand. "I promise, Natsuki. I won't fail."

"Good."

She flicked her gaze to the cold smile on the ghosts face, and felt her body tense in fear. "Please, Natsuki... Don't--"

Again, that searing pain penetrated her skull with enough force to make it feel as if her brain was being cut in half. A blinding, white light erupted behind her eyelids as she screamed, and she only dimly registered the taut wires pulling relentlessly at her skin when her body went rigid in agony.

Then it stopped, and she curled up as best she could on the cold metal, panting and twitching as she fought to make her body calm down.

"I really don't like it when I have to do that to you," came the ghost's voice again. "But I have to make sure that you won't let me down. You understand that, right, Shizuru?"

Natsuki's voice wasn't warm like it had once been. But she couldn't blame her. Couldn't fault the cold undertone. She deserved it.

"Y-yes," she gasped.

"Good. Because I know you can do this." Now the apparition lowered her voice, and she felt a slight chill as the hand came to rest above her cheek instead. "I know you have the will, Shizuru. The lust for blood." The hand moved through the air just above her skin in an imitated caress. "It's one of the things I love the most about you."

And God, that hurt even more. To hear that Natsuki loved her when she knew that the girl was dead. Too late. She was always too late.

"You'll need that blood lust for this, Shizuru." The ghost continued to stroke her cheek. "Do you remember what I told you about who was behind all of this?"

She nodded shakily. "The... impostor."

"Good girl." The ghost smiled. "You're getting better at remembering things."

She basked in that approval... in that smile. Natsuki was pleased with her. "I'm trying."

"Shh..." One finger hovered above her lips. "I know. And you have to keep trying, Shizuru. You have to be strong enough to kill the one who stole my name."

Exhausted, she closed her eyes. "I will."

"Don't listen to her!" She turned her head in surprise and stared at the heavy, metal door, which was now vibrating as something repeatedly slammed into it. "Shizuru! She's lying!"

"Who--" She wanted to ask, but the ghost had disappeared. "Natsuki?" She felt her eyes widen as she craned her neck frantically in all directions, trying to spot the girl. "Natsuki!" Where was she? Where did she go? _Oh, please, Gods, no... not again... I can't lose her again..._ "Natsuki!"

"GO!"

Then, chaos.

The door slammed inwards, bringing with it a thick steam of acrid smoke. Gunfire could be heard over the screams and sounds of struggling, the slap of fists against flesh and the occasional slither of steel slicing through skin.

"Hold them off!" A shout rang out from nearby, and she blinked her eyes to rid them of the stinging that blurred her vision, but to no avail.

Too much smoke. She couldn't see... couldn't breathe. So much noise, and no way of seeing what was causing it. It made panic rise in her chest, and she fought it... fought the instinctive desire to struggle free of the wires. Natsuki was still here somewhere, and she refused to let her down. It could just be another test. And this time, she would pass it.

"Natsuki!" A desperate plea. Why wasn't the ghost helping her? She couldn't breathe. Couldn't fill her lungs with anything but the foul-smelling smoke garnered by the explosion. Natsuki had promised to protect her, even if she had failed to do the same. Did she give up on her? Did she abandon her again? "NATSUKI!"

A gloved hand grasped her chin, and through the blur that was her vision, she could barely see the outline of another person above her.

"Oh, fuck..." The figure's soft, somewhat muffled voice barely carried over the ruckus at the end of the room. "What the hell did they _do_ to you?"

The smooth material of the glove traced over a few exposed bits of skin on her scalp, and she watched and coughed as the figure shook its head.

"Hang on," it then told her. "This is gonna sting."

Confused, she listened to the light beeps coming from somewhere to her right as another coughing fit wracked her body and made the wires pull at her uncomfortably. Dimly, she recognized the sound of a man screaming in the background, almost drowning out the rapid clatter of keystrokes.

There was another, louder beep, and she didn't have enough strength to do more than whimper as every wire, electrode and IV disconnected from her body with a loud, hydraulic hiss.

"I'm sorry..." The figure was back at her side, gloved fingers trembling as they wiped at the tears she could feel on her face. "God, I'm sorry, Shizuru. But I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Why were the wires gone? That wasn't how the last test had progressed. Were they trying to take her away? Away from Natsuki?

"Shizuru?" Her chin was held again, and her head lifted up towards the figure's face. "I need to put this gas mask on you, alright?"

Gas mask? She held down the urge to struggle against the arm that was holding her up. A gas mask would let her see without her eyes blurring, and allow her to breathe. That would definitely be a good thing, she decided, and held still as the rubbery sides were fitted to her face and the straps tightened around the back of her head.

"Better?" A finger tilted her face back up, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision, now finally possible since the mask was protecting her. "Listen, I know this is creepy as hell, but we need to get out of here. Do you understand?"

The figure was a woman, she realized over the sound of the alarm that had started blaring. A pretty one, even with a hidden face. But not as pretty as her Natsuki. Even if they had the same long, midnight blue...

"Shizuru? Do you understand me?"

_Oh, God..._ She flinched backwards in sheer reflex.

"Shizuru?"

So this was the impostor. The woman who had stolen both Natsuki's name and her life.

And she would pay. Oh yes. Shizuru felt a chill steal over her, and tasted blood where she'd bitten the inside of her cheek. She would pay.

"Shizuru, stop it!"

She struggled against the impostor as it fought her, anger and fear fueling her strength. "You killed her!" She clawed blindly at any part she could reach, and heard the yelp just as she felt flesh under her nails.

"Fuck! Miyu!"

"Understood."

And then, darkness.

-----

"Shit." Natsuki heard the tell-tale whistle just in time to build up the strength in her legs and jump for her life as the grenade exploded behind her. Rancid, heated air blew her forward and singed her hair as she tucked herself into a roll, acutely aware of the precious cargo she held in her arms.

"Assholes!" she yelled back, curling until she could take the impact of landing on her shoulders and not even stopping once she got her feet under her, but instead making a few quick leaps to the side and behind a wall.

Carefully, she set Shizuru's naked form down on the soil, then ripped the gas mask off of her own face with a grunt. A quick glance around the edge of the wall showed Miyu taking care of the soldiers with her usual lack of fanfare, her shadow outlined in the flames lashing against the buildings and lighting up the otherwise dark night. In spite of the carnage, she couldn't hold back a grim smile of satisfaction.

She should, she idly acknowledged, feel some sort of sympathy for them. Certainly, every single one of the men out there was someone's son, brother, lover or father.

Natsuki deftly unclipped the two Glocks strapped to her lower legs and reloaded them, then moved on to the Berettas that rested under her arms and spared a grimace for the bruises she was sure were in the process of forming on her back right now. The armor beneath her denim jacket had certainly absorbed enough bullets, and every one of them had almost brought her to her knees.

She gave the tears and rips in her jeans a glance as she felt a warm trickle along the side of her leg, then shook her head and resolutely pushed the thought of her injuries out of her mind. They weren't out of the woods yet.

Another glance towards the main building of the hidden compound to reassure herself that Miyu was holding her own, and she decided that she had a few more seconds. Exactly five of those seconds were spent hastily reloading the two Colts that rested on her hips. There. Now she could give the android a hand and get them all...

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shizuru's slumped-over body, and the sound of war and death filtered out as she crouched down in front of the older woman and studied her. Looked at her. For the first time in four of the most excruciating months in her life.

God only knew what had happened to Shizuru in the time she'd spent in the hands of the rebuilding First District. But she was here now, Natsuki told herself as she pulled off one glove and ran a hand over the woman's bald scalp. Shizuru was alive. Everything else could be taken care of. She exhaled in shaky relief, and bent her neck to press a kiss to the top of the older woman's head.

There was a slight, abnormal shift in the air currents around her, and for the Nth time, she thanked the heavens for the increased reaction time, speed and strength that her past as a HiME had left her with.

The soldier didn't even have time to blink before his rifle was ripped from his grasp and slammed into his chest, the sheer power in the blow knocking him back several paces. He rallied quickly, though, and rushed at her with a yell, only to find it cut off... muted to a gargle as two sharp, lightly curved blades shot forth from a hidden holster attached to Natsuki's wrist and buried themselves in his jugular.

She watched him slide off the claws and slump to the ground – dead before the actual impact – with a dispassionate stare, and wiped a hand over her face to clear the fresh blood away.

"Sorry, buddy," she told him with a sigh as she retracted the claws and gently closed his eyes. "You just joined the wrong team."

She felt _some_ sympathy for the soldiers, she supposed. But they had taken and kept Shizuru. And for that, all bets were off.

Another explosion rocked the ground underneath her, and she had to grab onto the wall for support. "Shit." She pulled the Berettas free and felt the cool handles warm to her skin, then jumped free of the wall's cover and fired off a series of shots in quick succession, felling six soldiers and effectively gaining the android's attention.

"Now!" she called to her, and saw a flash of recognition in the eerily calm, red eyes just before Miyu jumped back and let a small bomb fly free from her thigh compartment.

There was another deafening crack of thunder as the bomb went off, and then, at last, silence fell.

"You take her," she told the cyborg as Miyu stopped next to her. "Get her out of here. There's gotta be more on the way, and we need to get her to a doctor."

"Inefficient," Miyu responded calmly. "According to my data, you would die within 3.671 minutes. I am far more capable of holding off their numbers."

"You're also able to run five hundred miles straight with Mount Fuji strapped to your goddamn back," Natsuki snapped. "Miyu, please! Just take her and go! I know what I'm doing!"

"You are allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment," was the dispassionate reply. "I will carry you both."

"Wha-- hey!" Natsuki felt her world tilt as she was unceremoniously tossed over the robot's shoulder, but was glad that Shizuru, at least, was given a gentler treatment. "Damn crazy cyborg! Put me down!"

"Unlikely. Please hold on."

"Miyuuuuu!" Natsuki felt herself blanch as the ground started moving away from them at an alarmingly fast rate. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Unlikely."

-----

"Didja find her?"

Natsuki had to take a second to regain her bearings after being dropped – literally – into the back seat of the open jeep. "No," she growled at the woman in the driver's seat while Miyu gently set the unconscious Shizuru down next to her, then moved to the passenger seat. "We picked up a mannequin for the hell of it. Would you just drive, please?"

"Jeez. Touchy, touchy," Midori muttered, but put the car in gear and pulled away from the side of the empty road.

"I'm sorry," Natsuki mumbled after a few minutes of silence. "I'm just worried."

"It's fine. I should know better, right?" Midori blindly groped around behind her seat, and finally held up a blanket. "Here. It's not the cleanest thing in the world, but it can cover her up and help keep her warm. We've got a bit of a drive yet."

"Thanks." She took the blanket and settled it around Shizuru, then positioned herself with her back against the door of the car and pulled the lightly shivering body into her arms and removed the gas mask.

"Miyu?" She caught the motion of the android turning in her seat out of the corner of her eye, but kept the better part of her attention focused on a face she hadn't seen in far too long. "How is she?"

There was a few seconds of silence as Miyu used whatever it was in her system that allowed her to perform medical scans that could rival the equipment of the best hospitals on the planet.

"There a signs of several drugs in her system," the android then spoke up. "I do not recognize them. Fujino-san's brain also shows several signs of attempts at reprogramming, particularly in the hippocampus and the temporal cortex."

"The what?"

"Hippocampus and temporal cortex."

Natsuki exhaled heavily and forced herself to count to ten. "Miyu, I'll owe you for the rest of my life for helping me tonight, but do me a favor and talk to me like I was three years old, would you?"

The android's eyebrows rose all of a fraction. "Very well. A is for Apple. B is for Bell. C is for Circus. D is for Do--"

"That's enough, thanks. Midori, stop laughing."

"Oh, come on, Natsuki-chan," the brunette chortled. "You gotta admit that was funny."

"Hrmph." Natsuki felt a reluctant smile pull at her lips and held Shizuru a little closer. "Yeah. And if I suspected that she had a sense of humor, I'd punch her for it."

"Inadvisable," the subject of the conversation interjected. "Given the weak resilience in human bones when compared to the materials that make up my internal structure, my calculations say that with your strength, you would break approximately seventy-two percent of the bones in your hand by doing so."

"Thanks, Miyu. I'll keep that in mind." Natsuki pointedly ignored her old teacher's renewed chuckling. "Could you explain to me, in layman's terms, what your scan of her brain showed?"

"Certainly." The android nodded her head once, and turned back around to regard the dark road before them. "The hippocampus is the area of the human brain primarily used to encode declarative memory, such as specific events in time. The temporal cortex is believed to be the location where that variety of memories are stored."

"Hm." Natsuki heard a weak whimper from the woman in her arms, and moved the flat of her palm over the blanket covering Shizuru's back in small, soothing circles. "So you think they tried to mess with her memory?"

"Yes."

A cold, clammy hand grabbed a hold of her insides and twisted, and she felt her jaw clench in reaction. "And what did you mean by the part about reprogramming?"

"I believe the most commonly used term among people matching your demographics is 'brainwashing'."

"I see," she responded softly, and remembered the painful, parallel lines across the side of her neck where Shizuru's nails had viciously raked away several layers of skin before the android had knocked her out. "Miyu... given the time they had her for and what you found in her system..." She swallowed. "What are the chances that they succeeded?"

There was a slight pause. "Approximately ninety-eight point seven percent." Even Miyu's voice had gone quiet. "I'm sorry, Kuga-san."

"I told you, Natsuki is fine," she murmured.

For several long moments, the only sound was that of the cool night air rushing past the car.

"Midori?" She looked up and met the uncharacteristically concerned eyes in the rearview mirror. "I don't care if you get a speeding ticket worth a million yen," she told the brunette softly. "I'll pay the whole damn thing."

"Gotcha."

The car lurched as it sped up, and she squeezed her arms tighter around the blanket-covered form that rested against her. If it hadn't been for the lack of soft, chestnut hair to rest her cheek against, she could almost... almost make herself believe that the past four months hadn't happened at all.

Almost.

The moonlight glittered in the two silver bands that rested on her finger, and she threaded that and its mates with those of the hand that gripped the front of her jacket. And just barely managed to look at the finger where one of those rings should be before she had to squeeze her eyes shut.


	2. Chapter 2

For disclaimers, please see part I.

**Author's Notes:**  
A friend of mine told me not long ago that you know you're writing well when you react to it. I've definitely reacted to to this story thus far. The song I added at the end of this chapter certainly didn't help any, but it was too good of a story prop to pass up. Hopefully, you will agree.

Thank you for reading (as always), and enjoy.

**FORMAT C:**  
Part II

* * *

"Youko..." Natsuki's voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl as the jeep pulled out of the alley. "Get out of my way."

"No." Youko stood her ground and blocked the younger woman's path while Miyu made short work of carrying a blanket-wrapped body inside the small, out of the way hospital through one of the building's side entrances.

"Dammit, Sagisawa! Don't make me hurt you!"

"For God's sake, Natsuki, get a hold of yourself!" The older woman's voice carried more than a hint of authority, and somehow managed to give the impression that she was yelling without her actually doing so. "You can't be sure that they haven't followed you here. Are you _trying_ to alert them?"

For a few seconds, the stillness was broken only by Natsuki's deep, agitated breathing.

"No," she then ground out through clenched teeth. "Which is exactly why I'm not staying out here. Hell if I'm letting those First District bastards lay another hand on her."

Youko hooked her fingers in some of the numerous bullet holes littering the back of the denim jacket as Natsuki brushed by her, and the sudden restriction almost made the younger woman fall over backwards. "If someone were to try taking Fujino-san again, I'm sure Miyu-san is more than capable of stopping them. Do you agree?"

A deep, forcibly calm breath. "I trust Miyu. You know that."

"Good." She shifted her grip to clasp the younger woman's wrist, and tugged her a few feet over to the side, around a dark corner where they would be hidden from anyone passing by on the street, if nothing else. "Then it won't kill you to listen to me for a few minutes."

"You get thirty seconds." Natsuki folded her arms and glared at her. "Talk fast."

Youko was decidedly unimpressed. "Oh, please. Save it for someone who hasn't seen you fawn over ducklings." She waited for the other woman to look away and mumble something rude before she continued. "That aside, there's no way I'm letting you enter the hospital while armed. With how twitchy you are, you're liable to shoot some poor nurse's head clean off."

"I'm fine," was the terse reply.

"You're covered in blood, cuts and bruises, not to mention completely exhausted," Youko shot back. "And no use at all to Fujino-san if you don't get some rest. You haven't had a decent nights' sleep since she disappeared."

"Oh, for..." Natsuki rubbed a hand against her blood-streaked forehead. "What are you, my mother?"

"I'm your doctor," the older woman told her. "Close enough. So calm down, hand over those guns and get some sleep, because I have no qualms about having you shot with a tranquilizer if I have to." She took a breath and consciously gentled her voice. "Natsuki, you're running yourself into the ground this way. That's not going to help Fujino-san any."

"Mmph." Natsuki leaned back against the brick wall and picked at a large, rust-colored stain on the sleeve of her jacket. "Alright, fine... I see your point." She raised her gaze and sighed, then lifted her chin a touch in challenge. "I'll get some rest, but not until we know what's going on with Shizuru." A pause. "And you can take the guns. But I'm keeping the claws."

Youko spent a few moments studying her. There wasn't a square-inch of fabric on Natsuki's body that didn't have some sort of cut, rip or bloodstain on it. Her face – hell, her entire body – was thin and drawn and her hair unusually flat and lifeless; the legacy of a long period of stressful days and sleepless nights. She didn't need to have studied medicine for years to see the obvious fatigue in the lines of her body, or bright lights to make out the numerous red wires that shot towards her irises and made what little white there was in her eyes stand out in stark contrast.

But behind the exhaustion, there was a stubborn streak that ran a mile wide and two miles deep, and Youko knew that her young friend would keep herself going out of sheer cussedness, if nothing else. For as long as she deemed it necessary.

She had never in her life known a more loyal human being than Kuga Natsuki. But she'd never had a worse patient than her, either.

"Alright." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed in resignation. "I think that's the best I'm gonna get from you at the moment, so I'll take it. For now."

Natsuki took the warning for what it clearly was, and nodded as she unbuckled the straps that held the guns to the various parts of her body. "Fair enough." After a few seconds of clicking and the shifting of fabric against fabric, she held out the collection of holsters with a sigh. "Here," she muttered. "Safeties are on."

"Thank you." Youko wrapped one hand around the straps, then slung her free arm lightly over the young woman's shoulders as she steered the two of them towards the doors. "I told Midori to get some clean clothes from your house. You can use the shower near my office while we wait." She sniffed the air and grimaced. "I don't think even Fujino-san would come near you right now."

A snort that the hiss of the sliding doors didn't quite drown out. "Your bedside manner ain't exactly smelling like a bed of roses either, doc."

-----

She did feel a lot better now that she had showered and put on the clean clothes that Midori had stopped by with, Natsuki privately admitted as she and Youko walked down the mostly empty hospital corridors in silence. She missed the security of the handguns that she'd left behind in the older woman's office, but the familiar sensation of the claws' metal casing pressing against her lower left arm helped.

"This way." Youko turned down a hall to the right.

Of course, even these clothes probably wouldn't stay clean for long. The cuts she'd acquired during the night had - courtesy of the shower - shed what little scabbing over they had accomplished, and the quick cleaning of them that Youko had stubbornly insisted on hadn't helped any. And now that the aftersurge of adrenalin was wearing off, she could very clearly feel every single ache, sting and stab of discomfort where the jeans and sweatshirt rubbed against her skin.

The older woman was not happy with her, Natsuki knew, and gave the stiffly set jaw a glance out of the corner of her eye. Youko had not been satisfied at all with just giving her wounds a swift cleaning, but had eventually backed down when her patient steadfastly refused anything further. Natsuki knew that she needed more thorough treatment, especially for the gash across her upper right arm which was the only wound she'd agreed to at least get a bandage on, but...

Well, tough. She sniffed mentally. That would just have to wait. She had more important things than a few dings and scratches to focus on.

They turned another corner and emerged into a narrow, dead-end hallway with a small smattering of doors lining one of the walls at even intervals. About halfway down its length, she spotted Miyu leaning against the wall across from one of the doors, the android having obviously chosen to stand rather than sit on the linoleum floor, which was the only other option.

Instinctively, she walked faster.

"Natsuki." The cyborg straightened as she drew close, and inclined her head in greeting. "I'll leave this to you. Miss Alyssa is calling for me."

"Alright." She clasped the android's shoulder to stop her as Miyu made a move to leave, and knew somewhere in the back of her mind that if the last three years hadn't happened, she'd probably have gotten a few broken bones for her troubles. "Thank you, Miyu."

The cold, red eyes warmed for the shortest of moments. Then Miyu simply nodded, and Natsuki retracted her hand and watched her walk away.

"Miyu-san," Youko's voice called out softly, making the android pause and turn her head in question. "If you can, please come back once you're done. I know this stubborn old warhorse won't be sensible and sleep until you do."

"Oi!"

"Very well." Miyu nodded once more. "I will return when possible."

The sound of footsteps echoed softly in the silence that followed. Then Natsuki drew in a breath, but found a hand being held up in front of her before she'd even started to speak.

"No," Youko told her firmly.

She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Some day you're gonna tell me how the hell you do that, right?"

"Some day," the brunette amiably agreed. "But I don't think you should come in there with me right now. Hano-sensei will be able to work much more easily without his patient's banged-up, exhausted and very overprotective girlfriend breathing down his neck."

"Hm." Natsuki scratched her nose as she acknowledged the truth of those words. "Fine. But tell him to hurry his ass up."

"Can I quote you on that?"

She met the lightly twinkling blue eyes and smirked. "Quote all you want. He shouldn't be too surprised."

"Probably not." Youko patted her shoulder lightly. "Now... for God's sake, _sit down_. You're making me tired just looking at you."

"Yeah, yeah." Natsuki obediently settled herself on the cold floor and watched as the older woman turned towards the door. "Keep me in the know, willya?"

"I will."

A soft snick echoed down the deserted hallway, and Natsuki sighed as she tucked her knees against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Then she fixed her gaze on the closed door, and waited.

-----

"Here."

Wordlessly, the android set herself down on a wide branch, the landing soundless even as she brushed aside a few dead leaves and surveyed the warm coat that wrapped around the girl to keep the chill of late winter at bay.

Alyssa beckoned to her once she'd settled in a safe position, and Miyu crouched down in front of her charge and felt the short tickle of warm air against what made up her skin as a whisper brushed against her ear.

_Confirmed Alyssa Searrs' voice pattern. Mythril dress. Mode: Emerald._

"Understood." She inclined her head once, then straightened and surveyed the remains of the compound from their hiding place in the tree as her system rerouted itself in preparation. "Please keep your eyes closed for the duration, Miss."

_Mission category: Termination. Power level: Maximum._

"Be careful."

"I will." She watched the heavily armed soldiers as they tried to fight the still-burning fire, some of them carrying bodies away and others again standing warily on guard around the edges of the property.

All futile efforts. But she supposed that they didn't realize that yet.

"Miyu?"

She watched the soft, golden hair waft gently about the young face in the mild, cold breeze, and waited.

"In order to exterminate a weed, you need to find and destroy its roots," Alyssa told her quietly, and gave her a small, somewhat sad smile.

_Auto-targeting initiated. Mission_ _start._

She nodded in comprehension, and spared a return smile for the girl. "As you wish, Miss Alyssa."

"Thank you, Miyu."

Another nod, and she held her arms out as one shifted in favor of the Gatling gun while the other gave way to a sturdy, razor-sharp blade. Then she leaped.

"Hey, who is that?"

"No clue. Halt!"

"Whoa! Whoa, fuck! Call for backup!"

"Shit!"

For the second time that night, Death paid a visit to the First District in the form of a young woman. His thin, cold touch chilled the life out of anyone who dared to come near her, and his deep chuckles rang out across the gruesome scene over the screams of the dying. Every drop of spilled blood shimmered with the reflection that the light of the full moon cast from his blade, and he was determined to have his fill tonight.

No one but his agent would leave this place alive.

-----

"Well." A familiar voice intruded on her silent vigil. "Don't you look like a five-day old turd that's been left out in the sun."

"Oh yeah?" Natsuki was certain that her tongue would outright shrivel up if her tone grew any more dry. "Well I hate you and your ass face." Nevertheless, her expression was friendly as she raised her chin from its place on her knees and looked up at the young man who had come to a stop next to her. "What are you doing here, Yuu-kun?"

"Following orders." Tate Yuuichi yawned and leaned one shoulder against the wall. "Midori called to fill us in, and I know better than to argue with my wife at oh-dark-hundred in the morning."

"Your couch must be getting lonely."

"Har har, funny girl."

A weary grin pulled at her lips. "I try. How are you?"

"Tired," the young man admitted. "But doing a lot better than you, it looks like." He nodded towards the door across from them. "How about her? Is she okay?"

"She's alive." Natsuki studied the surface of the door for a few long moments. "That's all we're sure of right now."

"How long have they been in there for?"

She shrugged. "No idea. What time is it?"

Tate tugged up the sleeve of his shirt and studied the watch that wrapped around his wrist. "A little past four."

"'Bout an hour, then." She rubbed a hand over her eyes to keep the dry stinging away for a little while longer. "I know they're running tests and whatnot, but they haven't said anything about any actual results yet."

"Hm." Tate sat down next to her on the floor and studied her. "You need to rest, Natsuki-chan. Go home for a bit, eh? Find some food, get some sleep... I'll keep watch."

Green eyes gave him a dour look. "Beat me in a fight of any kind and I'll think about it."

A snort. "Like I could. Much as it bruises my allegedly fragile, male ego to admit it, Miyu-san and Shizuru-san are the only ones who can beat you."

"Hrmph." She shifted her gaze around the corridor. "My point exactly. Damned if I'm gonna give them a chance to grab her again."

"Mm."

They sat in silence for a while.

"How's Mai doing?"

He glanced over, and his face crinkled into a wry grin. "Puking her guts out every morning and shoving me out of the way while she's at it."

"Feisty as always," Natsuki noted needlessly, and welcomed the distraction. "Why does she need to shove you out of the way?"

"Because I'm a sympathetic barfer," Tate told her dryly. "Anyone else hurls and so do I, so she'll just have to get used to making room by the toilet."

She wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

"Oh yeah."

The image of her two friends vomiting in shifts pulled a tired chuckle from somewhere. "How long do you have to deal with the whole morning sickness thing, anyway?"

"Ah." The young man crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall behind them. "According to the doctors, it should wear off at the end of the trimester. So we have a few weeks of shared mornings in the bathroom yet."

"Sounds like fun."

"A boatload of it," he agreed with a half grin. "Where is Miyu-san, anyway?"

Natsuki rested her cheek on one knee and peered down the hallway. "Hell if I know," she replied. "Alyssa-chan called, and off she went."

-----

"You are in no condition to offer resistance." Miyu curled a hand in the front of the man's uniform and lifted him up, and the captain's insignia on his shoulders sparkled in the light of the flames that licked at the walls around them. "I advise that you provide me with the information I require."

He glared at her with the one eye that hadn't swelled shut, and spat blood in her face. "Why should I? You're gonna kill me no matter what."

"Correct." Miyu forced the sword through his belly and released it from her arm with a whoosh of hydraulic pressure, sending both the blade and its cargo flying through the decimated room. The tip sank into the charred, wooden wall with a solid thunk, and she watched the man struggle with the hand guards that had extended and now kept him from hoisting himself off of the blade while the flames tickled his back. "But I am capable of killing you both swiftly and without pain, or slowly with a high amount of uncomfortable stimulation," she told him as she crossed over to him. "I will leave that choice up to you."

"Bitch."

Miyu cocked her head and studied him disinterestedly. Then a slim, curved blade emerged from the android's arm and made a perfectly straight slash across his eyes.

"Invalid option." She placed her hand on the end of the sword and pressed down lightly, then released the metal and watched the now blind man bounce up and down on the sharp edge. "Please try again."

"Fine, fine!" His face contorted as he fumbled at the sword. "What do you want?"

"Names."

Through harsh breathing and low moans of pain, he provided them.

"Thank you." Miyu placed a hand on the side of his face, and snapped his neck with a swift jerk of her arm. "Target terminated." She retracted the sword from the wall, and paused only shortly to watch the body slump to the floor before she headed out of the burning room.

"Termination list updated. Locating next target."

-----

Natsuki chafed the cold hand gently between her own as she perched on the edge of the hospital bed and eyed the two doctors across the two-bed room. "So what have you found?"

"Miyu-san was kind enough to transfer the results of her scans before she left," Hano Ryo told her, one hand gesturing towards the colorful charts displayed on the screen that sat on the metal desk behind him. He was a fairly rotund man with an age-lined face and long, gray hair. "While we weren't able to name any of the drugs found in Fujino-san's system either, the majority of them seem to be hallucinogenic in makeup."

She frowned. "They were trying to make her delusional?"

"That's possible." Youko folded her arms and leaned back against the edge of the desk. "But it's more likely that the drugs were injected in order to make her just confused enough to accept whatever they were telling her. Either way, it's impossible to know for sure exactly what happened until Fujino-san herself wakes up."

"Which," Ryo then interjected, "we are a little leery of letting her do just yet. If she finds herself in these surroundings while under the influence of such powerful medicines, I'm honestly not sure what would happen." He folded his hands and rested his chin atop them. "We'd like to keep her sedated until we are certain that the drugs have left her system."

Natsuki felt her jaw clench. "You want to put her in a coma."

"An artificial one that we are in control of, yes." Ryo glanced to the side as Youko cleared her throat. "Sagisawa-san tells me that you too could do with some rest, Kuga-san." His lips twitched into a faint, sympathetic smile. "Not that I can't see so for myself."

Green eyes rolled in annoyance. "Forget about me for a second," she told them. "What about the scans of her brain?"

The elderly man regarded her for a moment, then dipped his head in acknowledgment. "There are signs of memory loss," he told her bluntly. "But the data Miyu-san gathered isn't completely consistent with what the hospital has in the records of patients who have suffered total amnesia."

She considered that. "And what does that mean?"

Ryo shrugged, which she honestly didn't find at all reassuring. "Again, we won't know for certain until Fujino-san regains consciousness. But I will make a guarded statement that she has only lost her memories up until a certain point in time. When, exactly..." He shook his head. "I don't know, Kuga-san. I'm sorry."

"Hm." She gave the IV that leaked fluids and sedatives into Shizuru's body a glance out of the corner of her eye. "How long will it take for the drugs to get out of her system?"

"That could take anywhere from three days to two weeks or a little more," Youko spoke up. "We'd know more specifically if we could study a strand of her hair and see how long she's been on these drugs and how large the doses were, but..."

"... yeah."

"Kuga-san." Ryo waited until he had her attention. "While this is not normally something we do, I would recommend that you let modern medicine aid you in getting the rest your body obviously needs. We will, of course, wake you up before Fujino-san."

"Oh, no." She gave both of them her sternest glare. "You are not knocking me out. I promised that I'd rest, and I will, but it'll be on my own damn time and without the two of you drugging me."

"Natsuki." Youko straightened and walked over to her, and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "How long has it been since you were able to fall asleep on your own time, as you put it?" she asked softly. "Without sparring with Miyu-san until you wore yourself out?"

She looked away, focusing instead on the unconscious body that rested under the sterile covers of the bed. "You know how long."

"Mm hmm." The hand on her shoulder squeezed lightly. "And when have you last been able to sleep for more than two consecutive hours?"

Natsuki sighed and closed her eyes. "Dammit, Youko, you know how long it's been." She held the hand between her own a little tighter. "I can't help the fact that I have nightmares."

"No." Youko glanced up as the door opened, and nodded in greeting to Miyu as the android stepped inside. "I know you can't, but you still need to rest."

"I know that!" Natsuki snapped. "But I will not be put into a fucking drugged sleep for it! Not while those First District assholes are still out there!"

"If they were not," Miyu now spoke up, and leaned on her hip against the side of the desk. "Would you do it?"

Green and red eyes met for a long moment.

"Yes."

Nodding slowly, Miyu raised her fist and pointed it towards an unadorned wall, and with a small click, a compartment on her lower arm opened and a small projector raised itself up. "Starting video capture."

There was a brief flicker of light before a large image popped up on the wall in front of them; a greenish tinged headshot of a husky-looking man in his late forties.

"Mokari Kenji," Miyu spoke up with all the passion of someone reading aloud from a case file. Which, Youko supposed, made sense, since that was probably what she was doing. "Function: First District soldier, captain. Information source." The image on the wall shifted and left them with a view of a mangled body, slumped over against a badly stained, charred wall. "Target status: Terminated."

_No kidding._ Youko felt her stomach turn and had to look away.

Another flicker. This time, the headshot was of a young woman whom, she noted with a sense of dread, shared a fair number of physical characteristics with the woman who sat next to her.

"Nakehana Momi. Function: Model and actress for the Kuga Natsuki 'ghost' hologram."

The only sound in the room was that of the low snarl from the woman seated on the bed, and Youko clasped her hand more firmly over the shoulder that fairly sang with tension to keep her patient from rising. "Easy."

The doctor had to cover her mouth at the sight of the next image, which reminded her of an old patient of hers who had gotten his hand and arm badly torn by getting it caught in the blades of a harvester. Only here, it looked like the entire body had gone through it.

"Target status: Terminated."

_Soup_. Youko felt an icy chill run down her spine. _She turned her into soup._

More images followed. More headshots and pictures of corpses, through none came close to matching the grisly fanfare of the second one.

She stopped counting at the fifty-seventh life.

"Total remaining First District entities: Zero." A short clip slowly panned over a smoking forest clearing that had probably once been the base that Fujino-san had been brought back from. "Mission status: Accomplished." The projector turned off and tucked itself back into the android's arm with a loud snap that eerily reminded the young doctor of the sound of a gavel slamming down. "End video capture."

Silence reigned.

"Well." Youko cleared her throat and resolutely pushed the thoughts out of her head. "Are you willing to rest now?" She turned her head to look at her patient, and was stunned by the sight of the numerous, wet lines that glittered on the pale face under the bright overhead lights.

She watched as Miyu bent down in front of the woman and pulled a woven tissue from one of the compartments in her dress. The gentle way in which the android then lifted the young woman's chin and proceeded to dry her cheeks was a very odd counterpoint to the icy reserve that had all but lowered the room temperature during the slideshow.

But perhaps that was one of reasons that the two of them got along so well now, she considered, odd though their partnership was sometimes. Human and robot, yes, and for that reason different in a very fundamental way that should have made any kind of relationship between them impossible. And yet, they also shared the same equally large capacity for both ruthless cruelty and tender affection that in turn made them very similar.

"Natsuki."

Youko watched as the tissue was put away again, and almost felt as if she was intruding on something very private when Miyu cupped Natsuki's cheek and caught her eyes, moving her lips around words that were too low for the doctor to hear even though she was standing right next to them.

"Alright." Natsuki nodded and got to her feet, sending the cyborg a mildly irritated look as a supportive hand closed itself around her elbow. "I _can_ walk, y'know."

"I believe that if your system was outfitted with alarms, it would be impossible to hear a nuclear explosion over the sound of them at the moment," Miyu responded. "Please forgive my caution."

Youko tugged a chair over next to the empty bed and seated herself in it, lining up the implements she needed on a small metal table. Just in front of her, she could make out the soft slither of cotton against skin as Natsuki – with the android's assistance – removed her sweatshirt, and she felt her brow furrow as she glanced up and saw the array of bruises that the bullet-proof vest hadn't managed to spare the young woman's back from.

"You're a mess, my friend," she noted needlessly as her ears picked up the sound of the door closing behind the older doctor.

"Ungh." Natsuki grunted as she swung her legs onto the bed and gingerly settled on her back with only a mild twinge of discomfort showing on her face. "I feel like it," she quietly admitted. "Got a headache that could fell a damn bull at forty paces."

"Mm." She selected a bottle from the small collection on the table, and used a syringe to slowly suck up some of its contents. "That's what you get for running yourself ragged like this."

"Didn't have a choice."

"I guess not." When she rose, it was with the intention of crossing to the other side of the bed so she could make the injection, but an outstretched palm entering her field of vision made her pause.

"Allow me." Miyu gave her a few seconds to answer, and when none came, bowed her head a touch without breaking her gaze. "Please."

She hesitated. No matter what, it was hard to make a connection between the deadly killing machine that had snuffed out life after life without any signs of remorse, and the young woman who was now asking to be given the chance to care for her… her what? Friend?

Could she really feel confident in the fact that Miyu wouldn't hurt Natsuki?

Youko turned her head to catch her patient's eyes, and got a small, tired smile and the crook of a single, dark eyebrow in response.

"_I trust Miyu. You know that."_

That, she supposed, would have to be good enough for her, too.

"Alright." She handed the syringe over.

"G'wan then, robot girl." Natsuki raised her arm and held it out. "Hit me up before I change my mind."

Miyu's lips twitched slightly, but she kept silent as she swabbed the inside of Natsuki's elbow, then methodically selected a vein and carefully injected the drug.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Youko shook her head as she slowly freed the blood-soaked bandage on the young woman's right arm, revealing a gash that had cut through both skin, flesh and muscle and reached the bone. "You're gonna be sore for a while."

"Worth it." The strong sedative was already starting to take effect, and there was a decidedly hazy look in the green eyes as they focused on the bed behind the doctor's back. "Found 'er," she slurred softly. "Right, Miyu?"

"Indeed." The android ran a soothing hand over the dark hair. "Rest. I will watch over her."

"Hmm." Natsuki nodded once and closed her eyes, and it only took a few seconds for her breathing to even out in sleep.

Youko threaded a thin needle, then gave the deep wound another careful cleaning before she set about stitching the muscle together. Halfway through the third stitch, she paused and looked up as the gentle sound of low music reached her ears. And with some surprise, she realized that it was coming from Miyu. One of the android's hands was resting lightly on the sleeping Natsuki's forehead, and a mild, silvery glow seemed to emanate from her palm along with a mechanical humming noise that was almost impossible to hear.

"What are you doing?" the doctor asked over the tinkling notes.

"What the drug cannot." The cyborg used her free hand to wipe away the single tear that was tracing its way down from corner of Natsuki's eye. "I am making certain that she does not dream."

Youko watched as the lines of stress on her patient's face lessened and then disappeared completely, before she sighed and went back to her stitching. Ruthless cruelty and tender affection, indeed.

"I gotta admit, Miyu-san… sometimes I think you're incredibly weird."

"Acceptable. I have no concerns regarding your opinion of me," Miyu told her calmly, then fell silent as a clear voice rose above the music and melded with it.

_**Who are those little girls in pain  
Just trapped in castle on dark side of moon  
Twelve of them shining bright in vain  
Like flowers that blossom just once in years**_

_**They're dancing in the shadow like whispers of love  
Just dreaming of place where they're free as dove  
They've never been allowed to love in this cursed cage  
It's only the fairytale they believe**_


	3. Chapter 3

For disclaimers, please see part I.

**Author's Notes:**  
Since I haven't had cause to go to the ER or the hospital since I was 12 or 13, I know diddly-squat about medical treatment other than 'sticky side of band-aid goes _down_'. So please don't expect any detailed explanations.

Also, _Katakoi Enka_ has to be one of the creepiest songs I've ever listened to. Beautiful, yes, but creepy. That song, as well as _Kirei Na Yume No Sono Hate Ni,_ has been my writing music for _FORMAT_ thus far.

(In case some of you don't know, those two tunes are Mai HiME character songs for Shizuru and Natsuki respectively. Suitable for their purpose here, ne?)

Thank you for reading. Beware the ducks.

**FORMAT C:**  
Part III

* * *

_Summer. Warm sunlight. Gentle breezes. The scent of flowers in the air._

_While Miyu wasn't equipped with the necessary installations to sweat or feel chilled, she was nevertheless glad that she had bowed out of the job as a nun and had returned to wearing items from her regular wardrobe. Casual clothes, since the summer holidays had just begun._

_A few feet from where she sat beneath a shady tree, Kuga Natsuki was sitting cross-legged on the grass next to the edge of a large pond. Idly, she flicked her gaze over the girl's face, but dismissed her again as she noticed nothing but a gently indulgent expression there. Instead, she returned her attention to the two figures in front of Kuga-san._

_Miss Alyssa and Fujino Shizuru were kneeling in front of each other, talking amongst themselves and occasionally trading speech for singing as the kimono-clad young woman patiently coached the girl through doing just that in Kyoto-ben._

_Her charge had grown fond of the two - Fujino-san especially - since the end of the Carnival a few months prior. Miyu didn't share the sentiments, but had no desire to prevent Miss Alyssa from associating with people who made her happy._

_As long as said people didn't attempt to harm her in any way, of course._

"_Miyu."_

_Apparently done for the moment, Alyssa rose to her feet with a grace that was equal to the one displayed by Fujino-san and crossed over to her, and she easily unfolded her arms and instead rested them loosely around the girl as Alyssa seated herself in her lap._

"_Such a cute look on your face," Fujino-san was saying as she settled onto her knees again, only this time next to Kuga-san. "What were you thinking of?"_

"_Er..." Kuga-san blinked, then crossed her arms and looked away. "...nothing."_

"_Natsuki doesn't wish to tell me?" Fujino-san sighed defeatedly and gave the younger girl a light poke in the side. "Ikezu."_

_Miyu felt one of her eyebrows arch just a fraction as Kuga-san yelped and recoiled from the poke._

"_Ara?" Now there was a decidedly interested gleam in Fujino-san's eyes. "Don't tell me that Natsuki is ticklish? Honestly..." She tutted softly and shook her head. "So many secrets you're keeping from me, still." A chuckle. "But this is certainly a useful one."_

"_Eh?" Kuga-san's face had a clear hint of worry in its expression now. "Shi... oi! Stop that!"_

"_Hm..." Fujino-san paused in her renewed attempts at tickling the girl, and considered the idea for a while. "Nope."_

"_Shi-Shizuru!"_

"_Peep!"_

_She watched Kuga-san turn her head and glare at the intruder – a small duckling that had waddled up from the pond._

"_You shut up," the girl told the animal firmly. "Nobody asked you."_

"_Peep!" The duckling flapped its tiny wings at her, and obviously wasn't impressed._

"_Aw, hell..."_

_Fujino-san chuckled and laid a hand on the scowling girl's shoulder as the duckling nipped curiously at Kuga-san's jeans. "Ara, ara... it seems that Natsuki has gained a new admirer. I wonder if it is I or Takeda-han who should be more worried?"_

"_Wha... you..." Kuga-san's face was twitching in a most intriguing manner. "Shizuruuuu..."_

"_Quack!"_

_Miyu flicked her gaze slightly to the left, and watched as the remaining flock of ducks, both adults and young, made their way across the pond to the edge that the two of them were sitting by._

"_Ah, more admirers for my Natsuki." Fujino-san smiled and gave one of Kuga-san's red cheeks a light kiss. "How nice to know that she is so loved."_

"_Quack!" one of the ducks commented and regarded them with a beady eye._

"_Peep!"_

_Kuga-san sputtered unintelligibly for a few moments, then simply growled and flopped onto her back in the grass with one arm thrown over her eyes._

_For some reason, the ducks took offense to the sudden motion and headed skyward in a flurry of angrily fluttering wings and startled honking. In the aftermath, several feathers floated down around their erstwhile entertainment._

"_Oh, for..." Kuga-san batted a feather off of her forehead and proceeded to use an array of highly creative and very heartfelt curses that even Miyu hadn't heard before. Fujino-san, meanwhile, just laughed softly behind one hand._

_In the circle of her arms, she felt the motions as Alyssa giggled._

"_I'm glad to have more people to care about," the girl then told her softly. "Even if our past isn't one of the better ones."_

"_Yes, Miss."_

"_I think you could care for them too, if you tried. The way you care about me."_

_Somewhat startled, she turned her head to meet the warm blue eyes. "Miss?"_

"_You know how wonderful it feels to love someone. So do I. And I know now that the more people you have to love, the more wonderful it is." A gentle hand cupped her face. "I don't wish to keep you from feeling that kind of warmth."_

_Silently, she watched the way in which Fujino-san teasingly coaxed Kuga-san into leaning back against a nearby rock. The girl was bright red in the face when Fujino-san then settled between her legs and proceeded to utilize her as a backrest, but all she did was grumble softly and clasp her arms loosely around the former kaichou's waist._

"_Is that an order, Miss?"_

_Alyssa smiled and shook her head. "Never an order, Miyu... just a request. Will you consider it, at least?"_

_She processed that._

"_Very well."_

-----

"Miyu-san?" Youko paused halfway through the door to the hospital room and blinked as she took in the scene in front of her. "What are you doing?"

For some reason, the android seemed to be in the process of pushing the two beds in the room together. She'd obviously already lowered the metal safeguards on the sides that would touch, and had somehow fashioned a double-sized curtain rod out of the two singles the room had previously held. Now, she was standing on a chair, working silently as she slipped the rings of the curtains... No. Youko tilted her head and peered a little closer – the rings of the _curtain_ – onto the metal rod.

At the sound of her voice, Miyu flicked her dull, red eyes over her briefly, then returned to her task. "When Natsuki last fell ill," she spoke tonelessly. "She seemed to feel far better whenever Fujino-san was in some form of physical contact with her. It allowed her to recover faster than someone with even her physique should." There was a soft snap as she secured the curtain rod into place, followed by a gentle thump when she stepped down from the chair and dusted off her hands. "Logic dictates that such proximity should have the same effect now. Presumably on them both."

That, Youko privately considered as she watched the cyborg secure the two beds together, actually made a lot of sense. Certainly, she had witnessed what some called the 'healing power of love' many a time during her years in medicine. Science, of course, had no explanation for it, but then again, love wasn't a very scientific thing, either.

And it couldn't hurt. Neither one of her two patients had shown anything but the most marginal signs of recovery since their admittance three days back, and Miyu was, if nothing else, efficient in her suggestion. She'd even taken the time to switch the beds around, Youko noted, presumably to keep Natsuki from turning onto her injured arm if her idea worked. Exactly where in her body the cyborg kept the equipment that had allowed her to weld the two curtain rods together so seamlessly... well, she'd rather not know that much.

"I see," was all she said as she closed the door behind her and crossed over to the desk; setting down the files she had been carrying and taking a seat before giving the trackball a spin and bringing the screen back to life in a splash of color. "Good idea, Miyu-san."

There was a brief pause in the shuffling nosies behind her. "Thank you."

"Mm." She clicked through a few windows and scanned her eyes across the data streaming steadily in from the various pieces of equipment that kept a watchful eye on the state of her patients, and sighed softly. Both were in stable condition, but there were still clear signs of stress in both their heart rates, blood pressure and every other indicator she could think of. A small wonder, of course, given all they'd been through.

A soft groan caught her attention, and she spun the chair around and watched with no small amount of surprise as Natsuki's hand grabbed searchingly at the sheets. There was a slight frown visible on her face, which cleared as her hand met with skin, then immediately closed around her bedmate's arm. The fact that Shizuru shifted onto her side and reached out a hand of her own upon feeling the touch... well, that only served to baffle the young doctor further.

Because... well, goodness, both of them were heavily drugged with some of the strongest sedatives and painkillers that the hospital had access to. They shouldn't be able to tell who they themselves were, let alone who was next to them. And yet - Youko kept studying them, and glanced down at her watch every now and then – it took less than five minutes of slow but steady progress before the two of them were curled up in the center of the bed, bodies cuddling together in obvious familiarity.

"Unexpected," Miyu remarked from her place next to the bed, her head canting in the only outward indication of her own surprise.

"That's putting it mildly," Youko murmured as she shook her head, then turned back to her screen. But the physical contact certainly seemed to be doing an admirable job of lowering their stress indicators, if the most recent data was any indication.

Then again, she considered with a backwards glance, maybe it wasn't that surprising after all. The mind could be unaware – even forget – but the body had its own way of remembering. So the fact that Shizuru and Natsuki could recognize each other in this manner after more than two years of being – as Midori had once put it – _'the sappiest set of sapphics south of Siberia, 'cause ya just gotta love alliterations, right?'_... well, perhaps that wasn't as unexpected as she'd like to make it.

Remarkable, yes. But not unexpected. No more so than how Natsuki had chased her old sensei around – and across - several types of furniture after overhearing that observation, anyway.

The sound of footsteps made her ears pick up, and she glanced over to see Miyu pull the covers up around the two unconscious women with a tenderness that still surprised her. Perhaps it shouldn't, given the android's near-silent, constant vigil by their bedsides for the past 80-odd hours, but it did.

Youko picked up a pen and made a couple of notes in one of the files, then twirled the plastic surface between her fingers for a few moments as she thought.

"Miyu-san?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip pensively as she wondered how to phrase the question; then decided that simple bluntness would probably work best. "Why?"

More footsteps, then a scuff of metal against linoleum as Miyu tugged out the chair next to the desk and sat down in it. "Elaborate, please."

"Why her?" Youko gestured towards the bed. "Why them?" She paused, and when no reply was immediately forthcoming, shook her head and went on. "For so long, the only person you seemed to truly care about was Alyssa-chan, and now it seems as if you care just as much for Natsuki. For Fujino-san, too, if not at quite the same level. Why?"

The cyborg studied her intently for a few long moments, and Youko had to keep a reign on herself to keep from fidgeting under the cold gaze. Really... it felt as if she was being evaluated by the layer. Highly disconcerting.

"They both feel affection for Miss Alyssa," Miyu eventually replied. "Should something happen while I was incapable of assisting for whatever reason, that affection leads me to believe that they would do what they could in order to keep her safe. I feel that I can 'trust' them."

"Affection and trust aren't the same thing, though," Youko countered, a little hesitantly. "And judging by what I saw the night Fujino-san was brought in, you definitely feel affection for Natsuki."

The android remained silent. She stayed that way for so long that Youko started to wonder if she'd simply decided to not answer the question. Just when she was about to dismiss the entire conversation and go back to her work, however, Miyu spoke up again.

"While she is only capable of protecting Miss Alyssa in eighty two point four one percent of the more probable dangerous scenarios that someone matching her age, gender and demographics may face, that is an acceptable second place," Miyu told her. "Natsuki is capable. She is, for purely logical reasons, someone that I can rely on, although that is not why I choose to do so."

"Then I'll have to repeat myself, it seems," the young doctor replied softly. "Why?"

"Kinship," was the reply, at length. "Miss Alyssa suggested once that I should consider making an attempt at caring for others than her, and since her wishes are paramount, I decided to do so. Natsuki was the ideal choice, given our similarities."

"So you have grown fond of her?"

"Yes."

"I see." Youko fiddled with her pen for a few more seconds. "How fond?"

"I fail to see how that is any of your concern, Sagisawa-sensei."

As toneless a reply as ever, Youko mused, but this time with a faint undercurrent of warning to it. But Miyu did have a point, she supposed. Exactly how fond the android was of Natsuki didn't have anything to do with her. None of her business, really.

"Forgive me, then," she responded with a slow nod. "I was out of line."

The cyborg folded her arms and turned back to her watch over the two unconscious women, effectively ending the conversation.

-----

"How much longer?"

"Hard to say, but with this one, probably not that long."

"Right. She's too stubborn to stay under when she doesn't have to."

"Rrgh." Natsuki could only barely make out the words as she struggled her way out of the heavy fog that seemed to clog her head, but she had the distinct feeling that she was being talked about. "The hell're you callin' stubborn?"

"Speak of the devil. Have a good nap, Snorelina?"

The fog lifted enough that she could open her eyes, and she sent the grinning brunette at the foot of the bed a hazy glare. "I don't snore," she muttered in response. "'M perfectly awake."

"Really?" Midori grinned at her, and behind her, Youko seemed to smother a smile. "So why aren't you yelling your head off like you usually do when someone walks in on the two of you?"

"Huh?" She frowned as she tried to figure out what in the hell her old teacher was talking about. It was obvious that she was still in the hospital. It was equally obvious that she was still laying in the same bed that she'd conked out in. It was even more obvious that she was... wrapped around someone?

"I'm sorry, Natsuki." Youko didn't sound sorry at all. "We were planning on putting you and Shizuru-san back in separate beds before waking you up, but you started growling pretty fiercely whenever Miyu-san or I tried to move you, so..."

"Mm hmm!" Midori nodded in far too cheerful agreement. "They tried it like... ten minutes ago? You sounded like an angry puppy."

_Oh... monkey nuts._ Natsuki felt her face heat up, and decided that the best method of just shutting the way too amused women out would be to simply lay back down, turn her head and push her face into the thick chestnut hair that covered the top of her lover's head.

_Wait... what?_

Pause. Rewind. Play.

... push her face into the thick chestnut hair? She cracked one eye back open, and studied how the sunlight coming from the single window played in the long, tawny strands that met her gaze. Dazedly, she lifted herself up on one elbow, and watched as her own hand combed through the mid-back length hair that now covered Shizuru's scalp.

"How long was I out for, exactly?"

"Seventeen days, give or take a few hours," Youko replied from her half-seat on the edge of the desk. "Miyu-san was able to stimulate Shizuru-san's hair follicles into accelerated growth just shy of two weeks ago."

"I... I see." She blinked and rubbed a few strands of the soft hair between her fingers, then turned her head to where the android was standing in the corner of the room, and studied her. "Thanks, Miyu."

Miyu met her eyes for all of a half-second, then looked off to one side and nodded. "Not at all."

There was a knock at the door before it swung slowly inwards, and a familiar head of red hair poked inside.

"Is... oh, it is!" Mai grinned as she entered the room and crossed over to Midori, whapping the older woman lightly on the shoulder. "Easy to find, my butt. I swear, hospital corridors are endless!" she scolded her old teacher. "I probably would've ended up in Kazakhstan if I hadn't turned left at the last crossway."

"Now, now..." Midori playfully fended off any further physical remonstrance. "I offered to wait until you were done in the bathroom. Not my fault that you didn't take me up on it."

"Right, right." Mai waved her off. "Did..." She turned towards the bed, then rested her hands on her hips and grinned. "Aww, look at the two of you," she teased goodnaturedly. "Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead."

Natsuki fought the urge to roll her eyes, but settled back down next to her unconscious lover all the same. She could get her friends back once her head stopped being so fuzzy. "Hey, Mai." She freed one hand and settled it on the minute swell in the redhead's abdomen. "How's everything?"

"Just fine." Mai smiled and patted her hand. "Everything's going exactly the way it's supposed to, according to the books and Yamuri-sensei." She paused, and seemed to make an effort not to grin too widely. "Although Yuuichi does seem to be a little tired of the morning wake-up calls."

Natsuki snorted. "Well, he should be happy with other things, at least," she muttered, and got a whap on the head for her troubles when her gaze flicked up a few inches and her friend realized what she was referring to. "Hey! Watch it, Tokiha! I _was_ just brought out of a drug-induced coma, y'know."

"And yet you're already cruising for a head injury," Mai tsked, wagging a finger at her. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that it's a bad idea to tease a pregnant woman? Hormones are nasty things, after all."

"Hrm." Natsuki smirked and rolled onto her back, which prompted the woman in her arms to scoot a little closer. "Shit, by that explanation, you'd think you'd have been pregnant since I've known you."

For some reason, both Midori and Youko immediately crossed themselves.

"You owe me a hundred yen," Mai spoke up.

"Huh?" she grunted, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What the hell for?"

"Two hundred, now." The redhead smirked. "You see, the baby can hear everything that's being said around me at this point." She patted her belly lightly. "And there is no way that I'm having my son or daughter's first word be a swear word."

"Mai!" If it wasn't for the head resting on her shoulder, she'd have shot out of bed – fuzzy head be damned. "I am not paying for your kid's tuition!"

"And you won't," was the blithe reply. "Provided that you remember to curb your language around me."

"Crap."

"Three hundred."

Natsuki blinked. "For 'crap'?" she asked incredulously.

"Four," Mai responded, undaunted.

"Dammit."

"Five."

"Oh, for..." She clenched her teeth and growled, then glared when she heard chuckles coming from the foot of the bed. "Stop laughing, already!"

"Yeah, yeah." Midori grinned and winked at her. "Should I run you a tab, Natsuki-chan?"

"Shut up," Natsuki grumbled, then cut her gaze over to her smirking, redheaded friend again. "How's Yuu-kun taking that idea, by the way?"

"Oh, you know." Mai waved one hand idly in the air. "Lots of grumbling, lots of pouting, even a few glares." The violet eyes rolled. "Please; as if he could intimidate me at this point. He talks to my stomach on a daily basis, for crying out loud."

"Father-to-be-hood seems to agree with him," Natsuki noted with a small smile, then sobered somewhat and turned her head to study one of the other occupants in the room. "Youko." She forced her head to clear, if only by a little. "I take it that you're planning on waking her up soon?"

"Yes." The doctor inclined her head in agreement. "The drugs seem to have worn off, so we stopped feeding the sedatives into her system a few hours ago." She folded her arms and gave her patient a level stare. "We expect her to wake up early this evening, and no, you cannot be here for it."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Six hundred, Natsuki."

Green eyes glared into violet ones, and Mai gave her friend a sheepish grin. "Shutting up now."

"Thank you _very_ much," Natsuki growled, then closed her eyes for a few seconds as she struggled to calm down. The room remained silent for a few moments longer, and she raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Why?" she finally spoke up again, and rubbed the skin between her eyebrows in agitation.

"Natsuki..." She heard Youko sigh over the sound of footsteps, and felt the warmth of a hand come to rest on her unoccupied shoulder. "Where did the scratches on the side of your neck come from?"

She cracked one eye open and glared at the doctor. "I'm pretty sure you already know, when you ask like that," she muttered. "Did Miyu...?"

"I didn't need to," the android quietly interjected. "She had your skin under her nails."

"Ah. I see."

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ does," Midori grumbled, leaning forward enough that she could rest her lower arms on the bed's metal railing. "Anybody wanna fill in those of us who don't speak 'vague'?"

"Midori." Youko's voice was mildly scolding, and carried a slight note of warning.

"She attacked me." Natsuki sighed into the silence that followed her words, and watched as both Mai and Midori's jaws literally dropped at the news. "No, I don't know why, but she was probably pumped full of all kinds of stuff, they had over four months to mess with her head, and as you know, Miyu found signs of brainwashing."

Another touch – this one on her lower arm – and she met Mai's eyes as the redhead squeezed the skin under her hand lightly. "She seems pretty comfortable now, right?" She indicated their closely entwined bodies with her other hand.

Natsuki smiled, but there was very little humor in it. "Eye of the storm, Mai."

"Which is exactly why it would probably be better for you to go home and relax instead of being here when Fujino-san does wake up," Youko commented. "Until we know exactly why she attacked you, I think we need to be cautious."

"Did she say anything?"

"Huh?" Natsuki turned towards Midori and studied the older woman. "When?"

"When she attacked you," her former teacher clarified. "Did Shizuru-san say anything?"

_'You killed her!'_

"Yeah." She nodded her head once. "She said that I 'killed her'. Whoever that 'her' is."

"Shit." The word was muffled as Midori rubbed a hand over her face, then waved the same hand at Mai. "Right, right. Add it to my tab." She cleared her throat softly. "Natsuki-chan... I don't think Shizuru-san would react so strongly over just any 'her' being killed."

The hushed, almost apologetic words wormed their way into her ears, and Natsuki blinked as she understood their meaning. "She... she thinks that _I'm_ dead?"

"She might." The brunette inclined her head in agreement. "And since she attacked you... she probably thought that you were the one responsible."

Natsuki frowned. "That doesn't make sense," she murmured, and tightened her hold on Shizuru, who burrowed closer in unconscious response. "Why would she think that I killed myself when I was standing right in front of her? Why would she think that I'd commit suicide in the first place?"

"I don't think that's what Midori-chan meant," Mai mused. "If she said that you killed 'her', then Shizuru-san probably didn't think that you were... well, you."

_So she thinks that I'm dead... and that I killed me? But she doesn't think that I'm me, or at least not 'me' me, but the 'me' who killed me. Or... urgh._ She rubbed absentmindedly at her temple. "I'm getting a headache," she muttered sourly.

"Hm." Mai gave her arm another squeeze, then wandered off a few steps and returned to the bed with an armful of clothes and a small bag. ""Best cure for that is to get up and move around," she announced briskly. "So up and on your feet, Natsuki." The redhead set the bag and the garments down in the reclining woman's lap. "We brought some toiletries for you, too. Wash up and get dressed, ne? Then Midori-chan and I will take you home."

"Who's driving?" Natsuki wondered aloud, preferring to focus on that subject rather than the one of a house that hadn't been 'home' since the previous autumn. "'Cause if it's you, I'd really rather walk."

"Hey!" The violet eyes gave her an indignant look. "I _have_ gotten better since the last time you were in a car with me, you know!"

"And yet you're still my most reliable client," Natsuki mused, semi-philosophically as Youko lowered the railing on the bed. "Speaking of which..." She untangled herself from her sedated lover with a definite sense of regret, but pushed it down as she adjusted the hospital gown and got to her feet. "How's that holding up?"

"The business or Mai-chan's car?" Midori piped up with a grin.

Natsuki smirked. "The business."

"Your garage is doing fine," Mai huffed, folding her arms over her chest – then immediately unfolding them again with a wince and ignoring the chuckles that followed the motion. "Nao-chan's handling everything efficiently near as I can tell, though she does complain a lot about the extra workload."

"Feeling a little sore over there, Mai-mama?" Natsuki teased her friend, privately relieved to have some small sense of normalcy finally return to her life. "And what's that crazy spider complaining about, anyway? All she has to deal with is the paperwork. God knows it'd be a sign of the apocalypse if she ever decided to actually get oil on her hands."

Midori chuckled while Mai just shook her head bemusedly, and she caught Youko smothering a smile out of the corner of her eye as she rummaged through the bag and made sure that it contained all the necessities. A shower really did sound like a good idea, even if she felt surprisingly clean for someone who'd been out of commission for two weeks plus. Somewhere, she knew that both she and Shizuru had probably been bathed on several occasions during that time, but she preferred not to consider exactly how that had happened.

_Normalcy... ne?_

She rested her gaze on the still-somnolent figure that remained in the bed, and felt her hands still as she watched Shizuru sleep. There was no harm in indulging herself, was there? Just for a little while? No harm in forgetting for a moment or two... in pushing aside the uncertainty of what lay ahead and just pretending that nothing was wrong.

That was fine. Wasn't it?

Because in mere moments, she'd be back home at their house, and she'd have to pick up and put back together the pieces that her life had become in the instant that Shizuru had vanished. She probably had tons of housework waiting for her, since she certainly hadn't spent any time on that since then, and she really should go through the weekly overviews that she knew Nao would have put together, just so she had a clue of what was going on at the garage.

_Did any of them quit?_ she wondered. If some had, she couldn't blame them. While Nao had turned out to be surprisingly capable once she'd hired her rival-turned-associate to take care of the company's growing amount of paperwork, well... Nao wasn't the boss. And even the finest of ships would eventually sink or run aground if it had no one at the helm.

Not that any of that had mattered to her last year. But Shizuru was back now, for better or worse, and so now it could matter again.

She hoped that things downtown were still as she remembered them. That group had, after all, become a second family to her. But if they weren't... well, she would just have to cross that bridge if and when she got to it.

There were no comments as she bent down and touched her lips to Shizuru's forehead, and she felt a distinct lack of gazes resting on her as she cupped a smooth cheek and whispered softly against the warm skin under her lips. One more moment.

Just one.

"Miyu?" She pushed down a sigh and straightened, turning away from the bed and instead facing the cyborg, who was leaning back against the wall and regarding her patiently. "Will you stay?"

_Because if she does fight_, was the unspoken part,_ I trust you to help keep her safe._

_I trust you to defeat her without hurting her._

Calmly, Miyu nodded. "As you wish. I will watch over her."


End file.
